Staining concrete

[hopeful200856]

How much does it cost to stain concrete? I have heard it's cheap and then I heard it is expensive. Thinking about doing my garage that has been made to a room in the house....

[Editor]

I think this is one of those things that can cost as much as you're willing to spend. Several years ago, I bought a can of concrete sealing stain and did some floors myself. You apply it with a paint pad. The professionals will add another layer of concrete so they can put the score marks on and stuff.

[shanneman]

We typically charge $2.25 a sq ft to stain and seal new construction and have a showroom at 901 3rd St if you want to stop by and look at color samples. Element 7 Concrete Designs 830-798-2717

[jeannielee]

I have 15 year-old dark brown stained concrete floors that have old wax build-up on them. Does anyone refinish concrete floors - removing old top wax coats and applying a shiney new polyurethane kind of finish? What would this cost? Thanks.

[shanneman]

We charge $.50/sq ft to rewax concrete flooring. If the floor does have a polyurethane finish on it, it would be $.90/sq ft to refinish it. Element 7 Concrete Designs 830-798-2717

[shanneman]

Also, if anyone has concrete flooring sealed with a solvent based sealer, we sell an awesome floor finish product (White MountainTraffic Coat) in our showroom that mops right on with a lambswool applicator and dries within 45 minutes and will give your floor back the glossy look. Its $33.50 a gallon and covers up to 2000 sq ft and should be applied once every six months or so to continue protecting your concrete floor.

[Anayolisa]

I heard that staining concrete is quite expensive but I cam across a website that gives details on Do It Yourself Concrete Staining. This will obviously helps save a lot of money. You can check this site for more details:

http://stainedconcrete.blogspot.com/

Hope it helps.

[johnhny]

It is not expensive. Even you can do it without any professional support. You need non-residue cleaner, muriatic acid and concrete stain. Those things are not expensive. You have to just follow few steps.
-Clean the dirt from the surface using a non-residue cleaner.
-Mix one part muriatic acid into four parts water into a plastic sprinkling can.
-Now apply the mixture onto the concrete.
-Allow 20-30 minutes and remove the acid by using water.
-Allow 2 days to dry.
- Now you can apply a concrete stain with a roller in any pattern you desire.

Have anyone tried www.floorstoyourhome.com (https://www.floorstoyourhome.com/vinyl-flooring/vinyl-plank.html) flooring solutions?

[Cory Hanneman]

That is really bad advice. I have to ask you Johnny, did you put that up to make sure the floor doesn't turn out better than the vinyl flooring you sell? What you are describing is a poor application of paint rather than acid staining or properly using penetrating dye.

There are good books on staining concrete by Gaye Goodman, Bob Harris and Fu-Tung Cheng, and information online at concretenetwork.com. Our site, element7concrete.com shows hundreds of the projects we have completed in the Highland Lakes area and lists the stains and finishes used on each job pictured. Also, there is a tab of "insights" that give the shortcuts that actually work better as most of the content online is written by sellers of materials rather than actual artisans. We are usually too busy working to write about how we do it (I feel like I should get back to work here myself!)

In quick response to your original question, we charge $2.50-4/sf to prep, stain, seal, and finish concrete, and $3-9/sf if the concrete is so bad that it needs to be over-laid with another layer before staining. The wide range in pricing is a function of project size, adjacent finished surfaces that need to be protected and cleaned, and how much diamond grinding and polishing is specified. We have a gallery on Third Street ,so if you would to see examples of these processes and materials we can meet you there by appointment.

[JakRussll]

Cory,

What about interior concrete? I own the last stitch of carpet that I ever will in my lifetime. Instead of ceramic tile, I would like to pull some up the carpet in a few rooms and stain the concrete under. I have no idea if this is a feasable option or not. Obviously, there is a big job just prepping the surface. Can you share your opinion?

Thanks,
Jak

[Cory Hanneman]

You bet: These options are detailed further at http://element7concrete.com/interior_resurfacing.html , but here are the basics:

You have three basic options when remodeling with concrete flooring.
1.) The existing slab may be patched, ground, stained, sealed and polished. This is the least expensive approach and a very durable floor. The main challenge when there has been carpet is that there will be holes around the perimeter of the room from the tack strips to be patched, and a patch will usually stain differently than the concrete.
2.) The existing slab may be over-laid with a hand troweled overlay. These look great and are reasonably priced (usually around $6/sf). We have dozens of samples at our showroom at 901 Third Street (Marble Falls), but are open by appointment only. I'm too busy in the field and too cheap to staff that place :)
3.) The existing slab may be over-laid with a diamond polished engineered concrete floor. These floors are awesome, but frankly expensive. Expect to pay around $10/sf. I think it's worth doing though, as concrete floors never seem to go out of style, get ruined by water, wear out, or even catch fire, so why not do the best you can, right?
Anyway, thank you for your interest in our work and please let me know if we can help you further.